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Ad trivializes faith

Letter to the Editor | Friday, September 9, 2005

I never thought I would see a clip such as the one shown during the Notre Dame vs. Pittsburg game last weekend. The commercial, which the Office of News and Information and Matt Storin believe to show the University as a “serious place for learning and faith,” is an insult to anyone who has ever put their faith in prayer. It is an outrage to think that the University would allow such a clip.

It trivializes the faith and its most important conduit to God, prayer. To let Rudy pray at the grotto for admission is one thing – that’s Hollywood. Twelve thousand students apply to get into here and I guarantee most of them spent a lot of time praying for admittance. Does God not hear the prayers of the 8,000 who didn’t get in, or could it be that those who got in made it with credentials of academic excellence and a dedication to their community through service and activity. Of all the people that helped make this film I wonder if anyone asked the theology department what they thought. As a theology major, we laugh in class at the thought of people praying at the Grotto for an Irish victory or that one might do well on a test.

This video sends an awful message to people like my brother who did not get in. “You should have prayed harder and maybe God would have listened. You should have gone to your church and prayed during every season of the year.” This video does not speak of a “Higher Education” it speaks of a false sense that prayer will get you anything and that admittance to Notre Dame is dependent on your devotion to God.

I’m sorry that I did not pray enough for my brother down at the Grotto. I will make a note of that for the next four siblings that I have that look for admittance here, and I will tell them to drop their books and pray. If this video is aired during the Michigan game you will be insulting the faith of many and trivializing the meaning of prayer.